| West Valley College | Fall 2008 |
| Tim Kelly, Ph.D. Office Hours: M-Th |
Office
SSH1 Ph: (408) 741-2546 Tim Kelly's E-mail address |
WELCOME!!!!!
Why do millions of Americans not vote? Why is it that the winner of the popular vote for President can also be the loser? Is there really a difference between Democrats and Republicans? Do we really need 50 state governments if we have one national government? Why was there a recall election in California? Don't know much about American politics? Then welcome to Poli Sci 1!
Poli Sci 1 covers the structure and functions of the American national state and local governments. Emphasis is placed on the development of democratic institutions through historical and contemporary studies. Students will have an opportunity to understand what has shaped the United States Constitution, its amendments, major court interpretations, the operation of and one's role in democratic government. This course may be used to meet the Social Science I or II requirement in the General Education Pattern for transfer to the California State University system.
Additional topics this course will explore are the following:
| Significant events in political, economic, and social American history that have shaped our political system since its founding; |
| The
role of major ethnic and social groups in influencing public policy; |
| The role of the media; |
| The relevance of foreign policy in shaping American politics (and vice-versa); |
| Alternative paths towards political reform in the Information Age. |
| Barbara Bardes, et. al., American Government and Politics Today: The Essentials (2007 Ed.) (This is referred to as Text in the reading assignments) |
| Robert DiClerico, Points of View: Readings in American Government and Politics (10th Ed.) |
| Howard Zinn, Terrorism and War |
Students wishing to take this class with the Credit/No Credit grade option must inform the instructor in writing no later than the end of the SIXTH WEEK. Requests for this option WILL NOT be accepted after that time. See the WVC Catalog under "Academic Regulations and Standards" for more information about this option.
In addition, students who wish to be dropped from the course are responsible for doing this on their own. I will not do this for you. If you stop logging on to Angel but your name is on my roster at the end of the semester, you will receive an "F" in the class with no opportunities to change this to a "W."
You are required to take 14 quizzes (2 of which will be counted as Extra Credit), a midterm, and a final. ALL QUIZZES AND EXAMS ARE CONDUCTED ONLINE on the Angel server.
Each quiz is based on the corresponding chapter that is assigned in the Bardes textbook for that week. You will have 20 minutes to complete 15 questions (once you begin the quiz, you must complete it within 20 minutes by 11:55 pm of the due date). You MAY NOT make-up a missed quiz. In addition to reading the textbook, you may find useful the companion web page for our Bardes textbook maintained by Thomson/Wadsworth (your book's publisher) at http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadsworth/course_products_wp.pl?fid=M20b&product_isbn_issn=049509806X&discipline_number=20. This companion web page has practice quiz questions.
Once you take the quiz, the system will give you an immediate score; however, you can only fully review your quiz for the correct answers once the quiz period is complete (i.e., at the end of the week).
Your Midterm and Final exams are essay format and will be explained in Study Guides that are currently posted on the lecture web page.
Every one to two weeks a threaded discussion will be posted based on the DiClerico readings, something in the textbook, or current events in the news. Click on the Discussions icon on the Angel page under Lessons, read the topic statement, and then post your comments. You may respond to the instructor's statement or any other comment made by other students. You must participate in each of these discussions in order to receive credit for your participation. More instructions are posted on Angel.
Two of your 14 quizzes will be added on to your total score as Extra Credit.
You are required to turn in two short papers analyzing the debates presented in the DiClerico book. These papers are 110 points each and are explained in more detail HERE.
| Complete the assigned readings first. I have written these lectures with the assumption that you already understand the topics from the assigned readings. |
| Read the outlines provided on each Week's page to get familiar with the general themes of the lecture. |
| Don't wait until the last minute to read the lectures, and give yourself plenty of time to digest them. These lectures take one hour and 25 minutes to give in class. You should allow yourself at least the same amount of time. |
| The lectures are full of links highlighted in BLUE that will give you more information about the topics I discuss. You are encouraged to follow these blue links. |
| You ARE required to follow any RED links and read the material provided. |
For more information about this online course format, go to http://instruct.westvalley.edu/kelly/.
Course Requirements |
Grading Policy: Grades are awarded on a Standard Scale: |
| 1.
Two short papers 2. Twelve Quizzes 3. Midterm Exam 4. Final examination 5. List-Serve Participation |
(220
pts) (180 pts) (250 pts) (300 pts) (50 pts) |
A B C D F |
1000
- 900 899 - 800 799 - 700 699 - 600 599 and below |
Dates to Remember |
| September 12: September 19: October 18: |
Last Day to Add Last Day to Drop w/out a "W" 1st Paper Due |
October 12 - October 18: November 21: November 22: |
MIDTERM
Last Day to Drop w/a "W" Second Paper Due |
Week 1 (Sept 2 - Sept 6)
-
What is American Politics?
- Total Recall: California's Political Circus
Readings: Text, Ch 1; DiClerico, Ch 1 (pp. 1-26)
Week 2
(Sept 7 - Sept 13)
-
The U.S.
Constitution:
Rules of the Political Game
- Simulation: Constitution
Readings: Text, Ch 2; DiClerico, Ch 2
| 9/12 | LAST DAY TO ADD |
Week 3 (Sept 14 -
Sept 20)
- American
Federalism: Eighty-Seven Thousand
Governments
- Simulation: Federalism
Readings: Ch 3; DiClerico, Ch 3
| 9/19 | LAST DAY TO DROP W/OUT A "W" |
Week 4
(Sept 21 - Sept 27)
- Civil Liberties in America
- Civil Liberties and the War on Terrorism
Readings: Text, Ch 4; DiClerico, Ch 14 (pp. 230-265)
Week 5
(Sept 28 - Oct 4)
- The Politics of Civil Rights: Race and
Ethnicity
- The Politics of Civil Rights: Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Persons
with Disabilities
Readings: Text, Ch 5; DiClerico, Ch 15 (pp. 266-274)
Week 6 (Oct 5 - Oct
11)
Public
Opinion and Political Socialization
- Simulation: Public Opinion
Readings: Text, Ch 6; DiClerico, Ch 4
| 10/11 | LAST DAY TO REQUEST "CREDIT/NO CREDIT" OPTION |
Week
7
(Oct 12 - Oct 18)
NO LECTURES: FOCUS ON MIDTERM
1st PAPER DUE by Saturday, October 18 at 11:59 pm
MIDTERM Begins Sunday, October 12 and ends Saturday, October 18 at 11:55 pm
Week 8 (Oct 19 - Oct
25)
-
Political Parties in
- Simulation: Political Parties
Readings: Text, Ch 8; DiClerico, Ch 8
Week 9 (Oct 26 - Nov
1)
-
Interest Group Politics
- Simulation: Interest Groups
Readings: Text, Ch 7; DiClerico, Ch 9
Week 10
(Nov 2 - Nov 8)
-
Campaigns and Elections in
- Political Communication in the Media Age
Readings: Text, Ch 9; DiClerico Ch 6, 7 (pp. 106-116)
Week 11
(Nov 9 - Nov 15)
- Congressional Politics
- Simulation: Congress
Readings: Text, Ch 10, DiClerico, Ch 10 (pp. 148-159)
Week 12 (Nov
16 - Nov 22)
- Presidential Politics
- Simulation: Presidency
Readings: Text, Ch 11; DiClerico, Ch 11: Online: Bush Quietly Undercuts Laws With Bill-Signing Statement (SJ Mercury News)
2nd PAPER DUE by Saturday, November 22 at 11:59 pm
| 11/21 | LAST DAY TO DROP w/a "W" |
Week 13 (Nov 23 - Nov 29)
- The Federal Judiciary
- Simulation: Judiciary
Readings: Text, Ch 13; DiClerico, Ch 13
Week 14 (Nov 30 - Dec 6)
-
Bureaucratic Politics
- Simulation: The Bureaucracy
Readings: Text, Ch 12; DiClerico, Ch 12; Zinn, pp 1-49
Week 15 (Dec 7 - Dec 13)
- Politics and American Foreign Policy
Readings: Text, Ch 15; Zinn, pp. 50-132